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Xavier and Baylor are moving on.
The first day of the 2023 men’s NCAA tournament was full of dramatic finishes, wild upsets, and new players becoming March Madness heroes before our eyes. As the tournament advances to its second day, the slate will loaded with fascinating matchups and will surely produce more memorable moments.
It looked like there was going to be a huge upset coming to start day two when the No. 14 seed Kennesaw State Owls built a double-digit lead in the second half against No. 3 seed Xavier. Instead, the Musketeers went on a 15-0 run to surge ahead in the final minutes. Kennesaw State still had a chance to win on the last shot of the game, but Xavier big man Jack Nunge came up with a game-saving block to secure the win:
The No. 14 seed UC Santa Barbara Gauchos also had an upset on their mind when they took a one-point lead into halftime against No. 3 seed Baylor. Unfortunately for the Gauchos, their offense went cold in the second half as Baylor caught fire. Guards Adam Flager and LJ Cryer led the way for the Bears, who advance to play the winner of No. 6 Creighton vs. No. 11 NC State.
No. 7 Michigan State 72, No. 10 USC 62
No. 3 Xavier 72, No. 14 Kennesaw State 67
No. 3 Baylor 74, No. 14 UC Santa Barbara 56
No. 5 St. Mary’s 63, No. 12 VCU 51
